There was a minor panic at the local cafeteria/gelateria this week. Why? The gelato cooler was on the blink. On an ordinary day in the scorching August heat of a Tuscan summer, this represents a significant loss of daily revenue. This week, though, no gelato means the loss of big business. Why? The annual festa is in town.
The festa is what we know as a carnival. It moves from town to town in the summertime, exciting children as well as adults who still have a child lurking within them. In our small paese (village), it also means all the negozi (stores) stock special items and stay open past midnight so the festa goers can pick up a broom, a set of dishes, a vacuum or a ham on their way to or from the rides and games set up in the local soccer field.
The town piazza buzzes with activity. Two pizzerias and one ristorante/wine bar are full of customers, while music plays on a stage in a corner of the square and people of all ages stroll around. There is no bedtime for Italian children in the summertime, so the streets are full of strollers and toddlers, as well as little kids weaving in and out on bikes and scooters.
Side note: an Italian friend of mine visiting Ireland was appalled that children were put to bed at a set time. "They were crying because they wanted to stay up with everyone else, but their parents made them go to bed! How cruel!"
But back to the saga of the gelato cooler. In late August almost all businesses in the area are in ferie (on vacation), including the one that could repair the cooler. Our friends at the gelateria shrugged their shoulders in the way Italians do to convey "We're at their mercy." You could sense them calculating how many gelato euros would be lost during the five-day festa.
Italy has a reputation for being chaotic with an allora (whatever) attitude to schedules or urgent repair needs. Perhaps that is so in other parts of the country, particularly south of Rome, but we haven't found it to be the case in our experience.
Examples: a few days ago we had big leak in our furnace room. A part had gone bad. We were told it could not be fixed until the next day, which was soon enough for us. However, a few hours later the plumber reappeared with the part and fixed it in no time.
Sixteen years ago we renovated our centuries-old stone farmhouse here while we were living in Vienna. This meant the work was done while we were not around. We made monthly visits to check on the progress. It took almost a year to complete, and I can honestly say in that time we only found two minor and easily amended things that had not been done correctly.
I compare that with the renovation we did to our apartment in London ten years ago. We visited the site every single day and every single day we found a problem. Big problems, too, like the wrong door taken out (they hadn't read the blueprints), the tile laid incorrectly, the wood floors put down badly, doors hung so you had to go around them to get out, etc.
But before I digress into Italy vs. England comparisons, I know you are in suspense about the gelato cooler. With the festa in full swing, and the caffeteria/gelateria in a prime location, what happened?
A sympathetic technician at the refrigeration company came through for them and repaired the cooler in time for the opening of the festa. The relief was palpable.
Last night crowds gathered around the cooler to choose among the delicious guste (flavors), made daily from fresh ingredients. You can travel all over the world but you will never find ice cream better than what we have right here in this small Italian paese. Don't be jealous. I'll have a cone for each of you.
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